Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study participants.

Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study participants.</p

Histogram and density plot of visual analogue scale score of pruritus intensity in the study population (n = 85).

The density of vertical axis represents the percentage of study participants.</p

Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model for the composite endpoint of technique failure or all-cause death.

Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model for the composite endpoint of technique failure or all-cause death.</p

The generalized additive model plot of the relationship between weekly total Kt/V and the visual analogue scale (VAS) score of pruritus intensity.

The model of the plot is adjusted for duration of dialysis, normalized protein nitrogen appearance, age, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, total cholesterol, and intact parathyroid hormone. The little vertical bars on the horizontal axis display the distribution of individual observations. The plot indicates that a weekly total Kt/V < 1.88 is associated with the aggravation of pruritus intensity.</p

Multivariable linear regression analysis of the determinants of visual analogue scale scores of pruritus intensity.

Multivariable linear regression analysis of the determinants of visual analogue scale scores of pruritus intensity.</p

Demographic and clinical characteristics of participants with and without pruritus.

Demographic and clinical characteristics of participants with and without pruritus.</p

Histogram and density plot of visual analogue scale (VAS) change scores.

<p>Frequency distribution of pruritus VAS change scores in the study participants. The density of vertical axis represents the percentage of study participants. The VAS change score = VAS score at follow-up − VAS score at baseline.</p

Laboratory and clinical characteristics of participants with improved and unimproved pruritus intensity, at baseline and at follow-up.

<p>NOTE. Data are expressed as mean ± S.D for normally distributed continuous variables; as median (interquartile range) for non-normally distributed continuous variables; and as number (percentage) for categorical variables.</p><p>Abbreviations: VAS, visual analog scale.</p>*<p><i>P</i><0.05 for the statistical testing between participants with improved pruritus and those with unimproved pruritus.</p>**<p>Ca×P = Product of albumin-adjusted serum calcium (Ca) and serum phosphorus (P).</p

Identifying the appropriate threshold of baseline Kt/V by the generalized additive models (GAM) plot.

<p>(A) The GAM plot adjusted for the important covariates at baseline only (gender, Kt/V, use of high-flux dialyzer, pruritus intensity, hematocrit, creatinine, uric acid, fasting glucose, total bilirubin, and Ca×P).(B) The GAM plot adjusted for the important covariates at baseline (Kt/V, pruritus intensity, AST, and Ca×P) and the change scores of the covariates (uric acid, fasting glucose, and AST). The solid red lines show nonlinearity of multivariable-adjusted relation between baseline Kt/V and change score of pruritus (with 95% confidence intervals shown in black dotted lines). Pruritus intensity was assessed by visual analog scale scores. The little vertical bars (i.e., rugs) on the horizontal axis of the GAM plots display the distribution of individual observations. Both GAM plots identified the value around 1.5 to be the appropriate threshold of baseline Kt/V for uremic pruritus, which indicated start of the aggravation of pruritus intensity began at Kt/V <1.5.</p

Laboratory and clinical characteristics of participants at baseline and follow-up.

<p>NOTE. Data are expressed as mean ± S.D for normally distributed continuous variables; as median (interquartile range) for non-normally distributed continuous variables; and as number (percentage) for categorical variables.</p><p>Abbreviations: VAS, visual analog scale.</p>*<p><i>P</i><0.05 for the statistical testing between baseline and follow-up.</p>**<p>Ca×P = Product of albumin-adjusted serum calcium (Ca) and serum phosphorus (P).</p